Full Planet, Empty Plates
Supporting Data for Chapter 7: Grain Yields Starting to Plateau
WHEAT
Wheat Yields in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, 1961-2011
GRAPH: Wheat Yields in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, 1961-2011
Wheat Production, Area, and Yield in India 1960-2011
GRAPH: Wheat Production in India 1960-2011
GRAPH: Wheat Area Harvested in India 1960-2011
GRAPH: Wheat Yields in India 1960-2011
RICE
Rice Yields in China and Japan, 1960-2011
GRAPH: Rice Yields in China and Japan, 1960-2011
Rice Yields in South Korea, 1960-2011
GRAPH: Rice Yields in South Korea, 1960-2011
CORN
Corn Production, Area, and Yield in Malawi, 1961-2011
GRAPH: Corn Production in Malawi, 1961-2011
GRAPH: Corn Area Harvested in Malawi, 1961-2011
GRAPH: Corn Yields in Malawi, 1961-2011
UNITED STATES
Corn, Wheat, and Rice Yields in the United States, 1960-2011
GRAPH: Corn, Wheat, and Rice Yields in the United States, 1960-2011
Grain Production in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
GRAPH: Grain Production in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
Grain Area Harvested in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
GRAPH: Grain Area Harvested in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
Grain Yields in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
GRAPH: Grain Yields in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
Soybean Production in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
GRAPH: Soybean Production in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
Soybean Area Harvested in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
GRAPH: Soybean Area Harvested in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
Soybean Yields in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
GRAPH: Soybean Yields in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
FERTILIZER
World Fertilizer Consumption, 1950-2011
GRAPH: World Fertilizer Consumption, 1950-2011
Fertilizer Consumption in Top 10 Countries, 1961-2011
GRAPH: Fertilizer Consumption in Top Five Countries, 1961-2011
Fertilizer Consumption and Grain Production for the World, 1961-2011
GRAPH: World Grain Production Per Ton of Fertilizer, 1961-2011
Fertilizer Consumption and Grain Production in the United States, China, India, 1961-2011
GRAPH: Grain Production Per Ton of Fertilizer in the United States, China, and India, 1961-2011
A full listing of data for the entire book is on-line at:
http://www.earth-policy.org/books/fpep/fpep_data
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics
of Food Scarcity (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth Policy
Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
Wheat Yields in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, 1961-2011
Year France Germany
United
Kingdom
1961 2.39 2.86 3.54
1962 3.08 3.39 4.35
1963 2.66 3.39 3.91
1964 3.15 3.48 4.25
1965 3.27 3.23 4.07
1966 2.83 3.23 3.84
1967 3.64 4.02 4.18
1968 3.66 4.22 3.55
1969 3.58 3.89 4.04
1970 3.42 3.73 4.19
1971 3.86 4.42 4.39
1972 4.57 4.04 4.24
1973 4.51 4.35 4.37
1974 4.58 4.63 4.97
1975 3.87 4.32 4.33
1976 3.77 3.93 3.85
1977 4.23 4.36 4.90
1978 5.03 4.89 5.25
1979 4.78 4.78 5.23
1980 5.18 4.74 5.88
1981 5.01 4.88 5.84
1982 5.24 5.24 6.21
1983 5.13 5.21 6.37
1984 6.46 5.93 7.72
1985 6.00 5.83 6.33
1986 5.45 6.09 6.97
1987 5.56 5.78 5.99
1988 6.15 6.23 6.21
1989 6.35 5.68 6.74
1990 6.48 6.27 6.97
1991 6.68 6.77 7.25
1992 6.40 5.98 6.82
1993 6.47 6.58 7.33
1994 6.67 6.76 7.35
1995 6.51 6.89 7.70
1996 7.13 7.29 8.15
1997 6.62 7.27 7.38
1998 7.61 7.20 7.55
1999 7.24 7.54 8.05
2000 7.12 7.28 8.01
2001 6.62 7.88 7.08
2002 7.45 6.91 8.00
2003 6.25 6.50 7.78
2004 7.58 8.17 7.78
2005 6.99 7.47 7.96
2006 6.74 7.20 8.04
2007 6.25 6.96 7.22
2008 7.10 8.09 8.28
2009 7.45 7.81 7.07
2010 7.04 7.31 7.68
2011 6.66 7.01 7.75
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with 1961-2010 from U.N.
Food and Agriculture Organization, FAOSTAT , electronic database, at
faostat.fao.org, updated 23 February 2012; and with 2011 from U.S.
Department of Agriculture, World Agricultural Production (Washington,
DC: August 2012).
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet,
Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth
Policy Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
Tons Per Hectare
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
To
ns P
er
Hecta
re
Source: FAO, USDA
Wheat Yields in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, 1961-2011
France
Germany
United Kingdom
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Wheat Production, Area, and Yield in India 1960-2011
Year Production Area Yield
1960 10 13 0.77
1961 11 13 0.85
1962 12 14 0.89
1963 11 14 0.79
1964 10 13 0.73
1965 12 13 0.91
1966 10 13 0.83
1967 11 13 0.89
1968 17 15 1.10
1969 19 16 1.17
1970 20 17 1.21
1971 24 18 1.31
1972 26 19 1.38
1973 25 19 1.27
1974 22 19 1.17
1975 24 18 1.34
1976 29 20 1.41
1977 29 21 1.39
1978 32 21 1.48
1979 36 23 1.57
1980 32 22 1.44
1981 36 22 1.63
1982 37 22 1.69
1983 43 24 1.82
1984 45 25 1.84
1985 44 24 1.87
1986 47 23 2.05
1987 44 23 1.92
1988 46 23 2.00
1989 54 24 2.24
1990 50 24 2.12
1991 55 24 2.28
1992 56 23 2.39
1993 57 25 2.33
1994 60 25 2.38
1995 65 26 2.56
1996 62 25 2.48
1997 69 26 2.68
1998 66 27 2.49
1999 71 27 2.58
2000 76 27 2.78
2001 70 26 2.71
2002 73 26 2.81
2003 66 25 2.65
2004 72 27 2.71
2005 69 27 2.59
2006 69 26 2.63
2007 76 28 2.71
2008 79 28 2.79
2009 81 28 2.91
2010 81 28 2.84
2011 87 29 2.95
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Production,
Supply and Distribution , electronic database, at
www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline, updated 12 June
2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R.
Brown, Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New
Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York: W.W.
Norton & Company, 2012). For more information,
see Earth Policy Institute on-line at www.earth-
policy.org.
Million Tons
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Mill
ion
To
ns
Source: USDA
Wheat Production in India, 1960-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Mill
ion
He
cta
res
Source: USDA
Wheat Area Harvested in India, 1960-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
To
ns P
er
Hecta
re
Source: USDA
Wheat Yields in India, 1960-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Rice Yields in China and Japan, 1960-2011
Year China Japan
1960 1.33 3.54
1961 1.43 3.42
1962 1.64 3.60
1963 1.86 3.56
1964 1.96 3.51
1965 2.06 3.47
1966 2.19 3.56
1967 2.15 4.03
1968 2.21 4.01
1969 2.19 3.89
1970 2.38 3.95
1971 2.31 3.68
1972 2.26 4.10
1973 2.43 4.22
1974 2.44 4.11
1975 2.46 4.33
1976 2.43 3.85
1977 2.53 4.32
1978 2.78 4.43
1979 3.02 4.36
1980 2.89 3.73
1981 3.03 4.10
1982 3.42 4.14
1983 3.57 4.15
1984 3.76 4.67
1985 3.68 4.53
1986 3.74 4.60
1987 3.79 4.51
1988 3.71 4.31
1989 3.86 4.49
1990 4.01 4.61
1991 3.95 4.27
1992 4.06 4.57
1993 4.10 3.33
1994 4.08 4.93
1995 4.22 4.62
1996 4.35 4.76
1997 4.42 4.67
1998 4.46 4.53
1999 4.44 4.67
2000 4.39 4.88
2001 4.31 4.83
2002 4.33 4.79
2003 4.24 4.26
2004 4.42 4.67
2005 4.38 4.84
2006 4.40 4.61
2007 4.50 4.74
2008 4.59 4.93
2009 4.61 4.75
2010 4.59 4.74
2011 4.69 4.85
Tons per Hectare
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet, Empty
Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth Policy Institute on-line at
www.earth-policy.org.
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Production, Supply and Distribution , electronic database, at
www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline, updated 12 June 2012.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
To
ns p
er
Hecta
re
Source: USDA
Rice Yields in China and Japan, 1960-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Japan
China
Rice Yields in South Korea, 1960-2011
Year Rice Yields
Tons Per Hectare
1960 2.72
1961 3.07
1962 2.65
1963 3.25
1964 3.31
1965 2.85
1966 3.18
1967 2.92
1968 2.78
1969 3.35
1970 3.27
1971 3.36
1972 3.32
1973 3.56
1974 3.69
1975 3.83
1976 4.29
1977 4.88
1978 4.71
1979 4.17
1980 3.24
1981 4.14
1982 4.36
1983 4.40
1984 4.62
1985 4.55
1986 4.54
1987 4.35
1988 4.80
1989 4.69
1990 4.51
1991 4.45
1992 4.61
1993 4.18
1994 4.59
1995 4.45
1996 5.07
1997 5.18
1998 4.82
1999 4.94
2000 4.94
2001 5.09
2002 4.68
2003 4.38
2004 5.00
2005 4.87
2006 4.90
2007 4.64
2008 5.17
2009 5.32
2010 4.82
2011 4.95
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Production, Supply and Distribution , electronic
database, at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline, updated 12 June
2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full
Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity
(New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more
information, see Earth Policy Institute on-line at www.earth-
policy.org.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
To
ns p
er
Hecta
re
Source: USDA
Rice Yields in South Korea, 1960-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Corn Production, Area, and Yield in Malawi, 1961-2011
Year Production Area Yield
Thousand
Tons
Thousand
Hectares
Tons Per
Hectare
1961 675 800 0.84
1962 700 800 0.88
1963 726 809 0.90
1964 907 809 1.12
1965 1,000 1,020 0.98
1966 1,200 1,020 1.18
1967 1,270 864 1.47
1968 1,089 1,068 1.02
1969 1,153 1,068 1.08
1970 900 1,000 0.90
1971 1,100 1,050 1.05
1972 1,200 1,100 1.09
1973 900 900 1.00
1974 1,090 1,000 1.09
1975 1,280 1,000 1.28
1976 1,000 1,090 0.92
1977 1,200 1,090 1.10
1978 1,300 1,195 1.09
1979 1,200 1,000 1.20
1980 1,165 1,100 1.06
1981 1,245 1,100 1.13
1982 1,415 1,200 1.18
1983 1,369 1,169 1.17
1984 1,397 1,182 1.18
1985 1,355 1,144 1.18
1986 1,355 1,193 1.14
1987 1,225 1,182 1.04
1988 1,350 1,180 1.14
1989 1,510 1,271 1.19
1990 1,343 1,344 1.00
1991 1,600 1,360 1.18
1992 660 1,370 0.48
1993 200 1,350 0.15
1994 1,050 1,150 0.91
1995 1,600 1,225 1.31
1996 1,800 1,250 1.44
1997 1,225 1,250 0.98
1998 1,775 1,390 1.28
1999 2,480 1,400 1.77
2000 2,500 1,450 1.72
2001 1,590 1,450 1.10
2002 1,560 1,490 1.05
2003 1,985 1,570 1.26
2004 1,733 1,535 1.13
2005 1,225 1,500 0.82
2006 2,575 1,620 1.59
2007 3,400 1,690 2.01
2008 2,780 1,650 1.68
2009 3,675 1,750 2.10
2010 3,420 1,750 1.95
2011 3,900 1,750 2.23
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Production, Supply and Distribution , electronic
database, at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline, updated 12 June 2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full
Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity
(New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information,
see Earth Policy Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Th
ou
sa
nd
To
ns
Source: USDA
Corn Production in Malawi, 1961-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Th
ou
sa
nd
Hecta
res
Source: USDA
Corn Area Harvested in Malawi, 1961-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
To
ns P
er
Hecta
re
Source: USDA
Corn Yields in Malawi, 1961-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Corn, Wheat, and Rice Yields in the United States, 1960-2011
Year Corn Wheat Rice
1960 3.43 1.76 2.72
1961 3.92 1.61 2.74
1962 4.06 1.68 2.97
1963 4.26 1.69 3.20
1964 3.95 1.73 3.30
1965 4.65 1.74 3.44
1966 4.59 1.78 3.52
1967 5.03 1.73 3.70
1968 4.99 1.91 3.63
1969 5.39 2.06 3.49
1970 4.54 2.08 3.81
1971 5.53 2.28 3.86
1972 6.09 2.20 3.84
1973 5.73 2.12 3.46
1974 4.51 1.83 3.58
1975 5.42 2.06 3.60
1976 5.52 2.04 3.77
1977 5.70 2.06 3.43
1978 6.34 2.11 3.55
1979 6.87 2.30 3.70
1980 5.71 2.25 3.59
1981 6.84 2.32 3.90
1982 7.11 2.39 3.76
1983 5.09 2.65 3.66
1984 6.70 2.61 3.86
1985 7.41 2.52 4.30
1986 7.49 2.32 4.51
1987 7.52 2.53 4.35
1988 5.31 2.29 4.42
1989 7.30 2.20 4.68
1990 7.44 2.66 4.46
1991 6.82 2.30 4.53
1992 8.25 2.64 4.50
1993 6.32 2.57 4.41
1994 8.70 2.53 4.76
1995 7.12 2.41 4.50
1996 7.98 2.44 4.80
1997 7.95 2.66 4.58
1998 8.44 2.90 4.40
1999 8.40 2.87 4.58
2000 8.59 2.82 4.83
2001 8.67 2.70 5.01
2002 8.12 2.36 5.04
2003 8.92 2.97 5.29
2004 10.06 2.90 5.54
2005 9.29 2.82 5.22
2006 9.36 2.60 5.49
2007 9.46 2.70 5.65
2008 9.66 3.02 5.44
2009 10.34 2.99 5.68
2010 9.59 3.12 5.19
2011 9.24 2.94 5.55
Tons Per Hectare
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Production,
Supply and Distribution , electronic database, at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline, updated 10
August 2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet, Empty Plates: The
New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more
information, see Earth Policy Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
To
ns P
er
He
cta
re
Source: USDA
Corn, Wheat, and Rice Yields in the United States, 1960-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y I
nstitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Corn
Rice
Wheat
Grain Production in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
Year Canada Iowa
1960 26.6 22.7
1961 15.5 21.7
1962 29.2 21.3
1963 34.1 24.1
1964 28.5 21.4
1965 32.2 22.9
1966 38.6 25.1
1967 30.1 27.3
1968 34.4 25.3
1969 35.9 26.1
1970 28.5 24.0
1971 38.8 32.3
1972 35.4 33.2
1973 36.7 32.5
1974 30.8 26.4
1975 37.1 30.3
1976 44.7 31.9
1977 42.2 29.8
1978 41.4 39.5
1979 36.1 44.4
1980 41.4 39.1
1981 50.8 46.1
1982 53.2 42.0
1983 47.4 20.0
1984 42.8 38.4
1985 48.2 45.4
1986 56.5 43.0
1987 51.2 35.0
1988 35.6 23.8
1989 47.9 38.5
1990 56.6 41.4
1991 53.7 37.6
1992 49.5 50.0
1993 51.5 23.1
1994 46.5 50.4
1995 49.1 37.4
1996 58.2 44.8
1997 49.4 43.1
1998 50.7 46.3
1999 53.8 46.0
2000 50.5 45.3
2001 43.2 43.6
2002 36.1 50.6
2003 48.9 48.9
2004 50.4 58.7
2005 50.7 56.6
2006 48.4 53.6
2007 47.9 62.1
2008 55.8 57.2
2009 49.3 63.2
2010 45.4 56.2
2011 47.1 61.5
Million Tons
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with data for Canada from
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Production, Supply and
Distribution , electronic database, at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline,
updated 10 August 2012; and with data for Iowa from USDA, National
Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats 2.0 , electronic database,
quickstats.nass.usda.gov, downloaded 27 August 2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet,
Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth Policy
Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Mill
ion
To
ns
Source: USDA
Grain Production in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
Canada
Iowa
Eart
h P
olic
y I
nstitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Grain Area Harvested in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
Year Canada Iowa
1960 17.6 6.7
1961 16.3 5.4
1962 18.3 5.2
1963 18.5 5.5
1964 18.6 4.9
1965 18.6 4.9
1966 19.6 4.9
1967 19.8 5.3
1968 19.8 4.7
1969 18.3 4.6
1970 13.5 4.8
1971 18.1 5.4
1972 17.8 4.8
1973 18.7 5.1
1974 17.9 5.5
1975 18.1 5.7
1976 19.6 5.9
1977 18.6 5.7
1978 18.4 5.7
1979 17.6 5.7
1980 19.1 5.8
1981 21.6 6.1
1982 21.4 5.8
1983 21.5 3.8
1984 21.2 5.6
1985 21.7 5.8
1986 21.9 5.2
1987 21.3 4.4
1988 20.0 4.5
1989 21.8 5.3
1990 21.4 5.3
1991 20.8 5.1
1992 20.1 5.4
1993 19.3 4.6
1994 17.8 5.3
1995 18.1 4.8
1996 20.3 5.1
1997 19.0 4.9
1998 18.1 5.0
1999 17.3 4.9
2000 18.1 4.9
2001 17.5 4.7
2002 15.1 4.9
2003 17.5 4.9
2004 15.8 5.1
2005 15.6 5.1
2006 15.8 5.0
2007 16.0 5.7
2008 16.4 5.2
2009 14.9 5.4
2010 12.9 5.3
2011 13.3 5.6
Million Hectares
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with data for Canada from
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Production, Supply and
Distribution , electronic database, at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline,
updated 10 August 2012; and with data for Iowa from USDA, National
Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats 2.0 , electronic database,
quickstats.nass.usda.gov, downloaded 27 August 2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet,
Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth Policy
Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
0
5
10
15
20
25
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Mill
ion
He
cta
res
Source: USDA
Grain Area Harvested in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y I
nstitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Iowa
Canada
Grain Yields in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
Year Canada Iowa
1960 1.51 3.41
1961 0.95 4.01
1962 1.60 4.14
1963 1.84 4.38
1964 1.53 4.33
1965 1.73 4.70
1966 1.97 5.09
1967 1.52 5.14
1968 1.74 5.36
1969 1.96 5.62
1970 2.12 5.01
1971 2.15 6.02
1972 1.99 6.88
1973 1.96 6.35
1974 1.72 4.80
1975 2.05 5.36
1976 2.28 5.45
1977 2.27 5.18
1978 2.25 6.98
1979 2.05 7.73
1980 2.17 6.70
1981 2.35 7.61
1982 2.49 7.30
1983 2.20 5.27
1984 2.02 6.90
1985 2.22 7.77
1986 2.58 8.34
1987 2.41 7.98
1988 1.78 5.24
1989 2.20 7.28
1990 2.64 7.82
1991 2.59 7.32
1992 2.47 9.25
1993 2.67 5.07
1994 2.62 9.52
1995 2.72 7.80
1996 2.87 8.77
1997 2.60 8.76
1998 2.81 9.22
1999 3.11 9.48
2000 2.79 9.17
2001 2.46 9.32
2002 2.40 10.38
2003 2.79 10.03
2004 3.19 11.55
2005 3.24 11.06
2006 3.06 10.62
2007 2.99 10.96
2008 3.41 10.94
2009 3.32 11.65
2010 3.51 10.59
2011 3.55 11.04
Tons Per Hectare
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with data for Canada from
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Production, Supply and
Distribution , electronic database, at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline,
updated 10 August 2012; and with data for Iowa from USDA, National
Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats 2.0 , electronic database,
quickstats.nass.usda.gov, downloaded 27 August 2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet,
Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth Policy
Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
To
ns P
er
Hecta
re
Source: USDA
Grain Yields in Canada and Iowa, 1960-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y I
nstitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Iowa
Canada
Soybean Production in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
Year China Iowa
1964 7.9 3.3
1965 6.1 3.4
1966 8.3 4.0
1967 8.3 3.9
1968 8.0 4.8
1969 7.6 4.8
1970 8.7 5.0
1971 8.6 4.9
1972 6.5 5.9
1973 8.4 7.1
1974 7.5 5.4
1975 7.2 6.4
1976 6.6 5.4
1977 7.3 6.8
1978 7.6 7.7
1979 7.5 8.3
1980 7.9 8.7
1981 9.3 8.8
1982 9.0 8.3
1983 9.8 7.6
1984 9.7 7.2
1985 10.5 8.4
1986 11.6 9.5
1987 12.2 9.4
1988 11.6 6.8
1989 10.2 8.8
1990 11.0 8.9
1991 9.7 9.5
1992 10.3 9.8
1993 15.3 7.0
1994 16.0 12.1
1995 13.5 11.1
1996 13.2 11.3
1997 14.7 13.0
1998 15.2 13.5
1999 14.3 13.0
2000 15.4 12.6
2001 15.4 13.1
2002 16.5 13.6
2003 15.4 9.3
2004 17.4 13.5
2005 16.4 14.3
2006 15.1 13.9
2007 13.4 12.2
2008 15.5 12.2
2009 15.0 13.2
2010 15.1 13.5
2011 13.5 12.7
Million Tons
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with data for China from U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), Production, Supply and Distribution ,
electronic database, at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline, updated 10 August
2012; and with data for Iowa from USDA, National Agricultural Statistics
Service, Quick Stats 2.0 , electronic database,
quickstats.nass.usda.gov, downloaded 27 August 2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet,
Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth Policy
Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
1964 1974 1984 1994 2004 2014
Mill
ion
To
ns
Source: USDA
Soybean Production in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
China
Iowa
Eart
h P
olic
y I
nstitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Soybean Area Harvested in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
Year China Iowa
1964 10.0 1.7
1965 8.6 2.0
1966 8.4 2.0
1967 8.5 2.1
1968 8.4 2.3
1969 8.3 2.2
1970 8.0 2.3
1971 7.8 2.2
1972 7.6 2.4
1973 7.4 3.1
1974 7.3 2.9
1975 7.0 2.8
1976 6.7 2.6
1977 6.9 2.9
1978 7.1 3.1
1979 7.2 3.3
1980 7.2 3.3
1981 8.0 3.3
1982 8.4 3.4
1983 7.6 3.2
1984 7.3 3.4
1985 7.7 3.3
1986 8.3 3.4
1987 8.4 3.2
1988 8.1 3.3
1989 8.0 3.4
1990 7.6 3.2
1991 7.0 3.5
1992 7.2 3.3
1993 9.5 3.4
1994 9.2 3.5
1995 8.1 3.7
1996 7.5 3.8
1997 8.3 4.2
1998 8.5 4.2
1999 8.0 4.4
2000 9.3 4.3
2001 9.5 4.4
2002 8.7 4.2
2003 9.3 4.3
2004 9.6 4.1
2005 9.6 4.0
2006 9.3 4.1
2007 8.8 3.5
2008 9.1 3.9
2009 9.2 3.9
2010 8.5 3.9
2011 7.7 3.7
Million Hectares
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with data for China from
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Production, Supply and
Distribution , electronic database, at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline,
updated 10 August 2012; and with data for Iowa from USDA,
National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats 2.0 , electronic
database, quickstats.nass.usda.gov, downloaded 27 August 2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet,
Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth
Policy Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1964 1974 1984 1994 2004 2014
Mill
ion
He
cta
res
Source: USDA
Soybean Area Harvested in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y I
nstitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Iowa
China
Soybean Yields in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
Year China Iowa
1964 0.79 1.92
1965 0.71 1.75
1966 0.98 1.98
1967 0.97 1.85
1968 0.96 2.15
1969 0.92 2.19
1970 1.09 2.19
1971 1.11 2.19
1972 0.85 2.42
1973 1.13 2.29
1974 1.03 1.88
1975 1.03 2.29
1976 0.99 2.08
1977 1.06 2.39
1978 1.06 2.52
1979 1.03 2.52
1980 1.10 2.59
1981 1.16 2.69
1982 1.07 2.45
1983 1.29 2.35
1984 1.33 2.12
1985 1.36 2.56
1986 1.40 2.79
1987 1.44 2.93
1988 1.43 2.08
1989 1.27 2.62
1990 1.46 2.79
1991 1.38 2.72
1992 1.43 2.96
1993 1.62 2.08
1994 1.73 3.40
1995 1.66 2.96
1996 1.77 2.96
1997 1.76 3.09
1998 1.78 3.23
1999 1.79 2.99
2000 1.66 2.93
2001 1.63 2.96
2002 1.89 3.23
2003 1.65 2.19
2004 1.81 3.30
2005 1.70 3.53
2006 1.62 3.40
2007 1.53 3.50
2008 1.70 3.13
2009 1.63 3.43
2010 1.77 3.43
2011 1.76 3.40
Tons Per Hectare
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with data for China from
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Production, Supply and
Distribution , electronic database, at www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline,
updated 10 August 2012; and with data for Iowa from USDA,
National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats 2.0 , electronic
database, quickstats.nass.usda.gov, downloaded 27 August 2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet,
Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth
Policy Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
1964 1974 1984 1994 2004 2014
To
ns P
er
Hecta
re
Source: USDA
Soybean Yields in China and Iowa, 1964-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y I
nstitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Iowa
China
World Fertilizer Consumption, 1950-2011
Year Fertilizer Consumption
Million Tons
1950 14
1951 15
1952 15
1953 16
1954 17
1955 18
1956 20
1957 22
1958 23
1959 25
1960 27
1961 32
1962 34
1963 37
1964 41
1965 46
1966 51
1967 55
1968 59
1969 62
1970 68
1971 72
1972 78
1973 84
1974 81
1975 89
1976 97
1977 101
1978 108
1979 113
1980 116
1981 115
1982 115
1983 125
1984 131
1985 129
1986 133
1987 139
1988 144
1989 143
1990 137
1991 134
1992 125
1993 120
1994 122
1995 130
1996 134
1997 137
1998 138
1999 140
2000 137
2001 139
2002 143
2003 149
2004 156
2005 156
2006 163
2007 168
2008 155
2009 163
2010 172
2011 177
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with historical data for 1950-1960
compiled by Worldwatch Institute from U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization,
Fertilizer Yearbook (Rome: various years); 1961-2006 from International Fertilizer
Industry Association (IFA), IFADATA , electronic database, at
www.fertilizer.org/ifa/ifadata/search, downloaded 28 August 2012; and 2007-2011
from Patrick Heffer, Medium-Term Outlook for World Agriculture and Fertilizer
Demand 2011/12 – 2016/17 (Paris: IFA, June 2012), p. 26.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet, Empty
Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth Policy Institute on-line at
www.earth-policy.org.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Mill
ion
To
ns
Source: Worldwatch, IFA
World Fertilizer Consumption, 1950-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Fertilizer Consumption in Top 10 Countries, 1961-2011
Year China India United States Brazil Indonesia Pakistan France Canada Russia Germany
1961 1.0 0.4 7.9 0.2 0.1 0.1 2.6 0.4 n.a. 3.4
1962 1.0 0.5 8.6 0.2 0.2 0.0 2.7 0.4 n.a. 3.6
1963 1.1 0.6 9.5 0.3 0.1 0.1 2.9 0.5 n.a. 3.7
1964 1.2 0.7 10.0 0.3 0.1 0.1 3.1 0.6 n.a. 4.1
1965 2.0 0.8 11.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 3.1 0.7 n.a. 4.2
1966 2.8 1.2 12.7 0.3 0.1 0.1 3.4 0.8 n.a. 4.1
1967 2.3 1.7 13.6 0.4 0.1 0.2 3.8 0.9 n.a. 4.2
1968 2.7 1.7 14.1 0.6 0.1 0.3 4.1 0.7 n.a. 4.3
1969 3.2 1.4 14.6 0.6 0.2 0.3 4.2 0.7 n.a. 4.6
1970 3.9 1.8 15.9 1.0 0.2 0.3 4.6 0.8 n.a. 4.8
1971 4.3 2.4 15.6 1.2 0.3 0.4 4.9 0.9 n.a. 4.9
1972 5.0 2.6 16.1 1.7 0.3 0.4 5.4 1.0 n.a. 4.9
1973 6.3 2.5 17.5 1.7 0.5 0.4 5.8 1.2 n.a. 4.9
1974 5.4 2.7 16.0 1.8 0.5 0.4 4.7 1.2 n.a. 5.1
1975 6.6 2.5 18.9 1.9 0.5 0.6 4.7 1.3 n.a. 4.9
1976 7.4 3.4 20.0 2.5 0.5 0.6 5.1 1.4 n.a. 5.2
1977 9.8 4.1 18.7 3.2 0.6 0.7 5.2 1.6 n.a. 5.1
1978 10.6 4.5 20.4 3.2 0.8 0.9 5.7 1.8 n.a. 5.1
1979 13.0 5.0 20.9 3.5 0.9 1.0 6.0 1.9 n.a. 5.2
1980 15.3 5.2 21.5 4.1 1.2 1.1 5.6 1.9 n.a. 5.2
1981 15.3 5.7 19.4 2.7 1.5 1.1 5.6 2.0 n.a. 4.9
1982 16.0 5.9 16.5 2.7 1.6 1.2 5.6 2.1 n.a. 4.8
1983 18.2 6.6 19.8 2.3 1.5 1.2 5.8 2.3 n.a. 4.6
1984 19.7 8.0 19.7 3.4 1.9 1.3 5.8 2.5 n.a. 4.7
1985 16.9 8.7 17.6 3.2 2.0 1.5 5.7 2.4 n.a. 4.8
1986 16.9 9.6 17.3 3.9 2.0 1.8 5.9 2.2 n.a. 4.8
1987 22.2 8.3 17.8 3.9 2.2 1.7 5.8 2.2 n.a. 4.8
1988 24.9 10.8 17.7 3.7 2.5 1.7 6.0 2.1 n.a. 4.9
1989 24.9 11.3 18.7 3.4 2.3 1.9 6.1 2.2 n.a. 4.6
1990 26.8 12.0 18.6 3.2 2.5 1.9 5.7 2.1 11.1 3.4
1991 29.1 12.7 18.8 3.4 2.4 1.9 5.6 2.2 10.1 3.0
1992 28.7 12.2 19.0 3.5 2.6 2.1 4.5 2.3 5.5 2.8
1993 24.6 12.4 20.4 4.4 2.3 2.1 4.6 2.4 3.9 2.7
1994 28.3 13.6 19.3 5.0 2.5 2.2 4.7 2.4 1.5 2.9
1995 35.1 13.9 20.0 4.5 2.5 2.5 4.9 2.6 1.8 2.8
1996 35.5 14.3 20.3 4.9 2.7 2.4 5.1 2.7 1.6 2.8
1997 35.2 16.2 20.2 5.7 2.2 2.7 5.0 2.7 1.6 2.9
1998 35.3 16.8 19.6 5.7 2.7 2.6 4.8 2.6 1.3 2.9
1999 35.9 18.1 19.6 5.7 2.5 2.8 4.8 2.7 1.4 3.1
2000 34.7 16.7 18.8 7.3 2.5 3.0 4.1 2.5 1.4 2.7
2001 35.6 17.4 19.6 7.1 2.5 2.9 4.2 2.5 1.6 2.6
2002 40.3 16.1 19.4 7.6 3.0 3.0 4.0 2.6 1.4 2.6
2003 39.6 16.8 21.2 10.1 3.1 3.2 4.0 2.7 1.4 2.6
2004 43.1 18.4 20.1 10.7 3.5 3.7 3.9 2.5 1.5 2.6
2005 46.7 20.4 19.3 8.7 3.7 3.9 3.5 2.3 1.5 2.5
2006 49.4 21.6 20.8 8.9 3.6 3.7 3.5 2.8 1.7 2.3
2007 51.2 22.6 19.5 10.6 4.1 3.6 3.8 2.9 1.9 2.6
2008 48.4 24.9 16.0 9.4 4.1 3.7 2.8 2.6 2.3 1.9
2009 48.9 26.5 18.9 9.0 4.5 4.4 2.9 2.8 2.4 2.2
2010 49.7 28.2 20.0 10.1 3.8 3.9 3.4 3.0 2.4 2.5
2011 50.8 n.a. 20.3 11.7 4.1 3.8 3.1 3.2 n.a. 2.4
Note: "n.a." indicates data not available.
Million Tons
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with 1961-2009 data from International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), IFADATA , electronic database, at
www.fertilizer.org/ifa/ifadata/search, downloaded 28 August 2012; with 2010 data for Russia and India from IFA, Fertilizer Consumption 2010/11 –
2015/16 Country Reports (Paris: June 2011), pp. 7, 23; and with 2010-2011 data for all other countries from IFA, Fertilizer Consumption 2011/12 –
2016/17 Country Reports (Paris: June 2012), pp. 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 17, 20, 21.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth Policy Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 2021
Mill
ion
To
ns
Source: IFA
Fertilizer Consumption in Top Five Countries, 1961-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y I
nstitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
China
India
United States
Brazil
Indonesia
Fertilizer Consumption and Grain Production for the World, 1961-2011
Year Fertilizer Use Grain Production
Grain Production Per
Ton of Fertilizer
Tons
1961 32 800 25.3
1962 34 850 25.0
1963 37 858 23.5
1964 41 906 22.0
1965 46 905 19.5
1966 51 988 19.3
1967 55 1,014 18.3
1968 59 1,052 17.8
1969 62 1,063 17.1
1970 68 1,079 15.8
1971 72 1,177 16.3
1972 78 1,141 14.7
1973 84 1,253 14.8
1974 81 1,203 14.8
1975 89 1,237 13.9
1976 97 1,342 13.9
1977 101 1,319 13.0
1978 108 1,445 13.4
1979 113 1,409 12.5
1980 116 1,429 12.3
1981 115 1,482 12.9
1982 115 1,533 13.4
1983 125 1,469 11.8
1984 131 1,632 12.5
1985 129 1,647 12.8
1986 133 1,664 12.5
1987 139 1,601 11.5
1988 144 1,550 10.7
1989 143 1,673 11.7
1990 137 1,769 12.9
1991 134 1,709 12.7
1992 125 1,786 14.3
1993 120 1,711 14.2
1994 122 1,757 14.4
1995 130 1,707 13.1
1996 134 1,872 13.9
1997 137 1,879 13.7
1998 138 1,877 13.6
1999 140 1,874 13.4
2000 137 1,846 13.5
2001 139 1,880 13.5
2002 143 1,821 12.7
2003 149 1,864 12.5
2004 156 2,043 13.1
2005 156 2,016 12.9
2006 163 2,005 12.3
2007 168 2,126 12.7
2008 155 2,244 14.5
2009 163 2,240 13.8
2010 172 2,199 12.8
2011 177 2,309 13.0
Million Tons
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with 1961-2006 fertilizer data from International Fertilizer Industry Association
(IFA), IFADATA , electronic database, at www.fertilizer.org/ifa/ifadata/search, downloaded 28 August 2012; with 2007-
2011 fertilizer data from Patrick Heffer, Medium-Term Outlook for World Agriculture and Fertilizer Demand 2011/12 –
2016/17 (Paris: IFA, June 2012), p. 26; and with grain data from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Production, Supply and
Distribution , electronic database, at fas.usda.gov/psdonline, updated 10 August 2012.
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food
Scarcity (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012). For more information, see Earth Policy Institute on-line at
www.earth-policy.org.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
To
ns
Source: IFA, USDA
World Grain Production Per Ton of Fertilizer, 1961-2011
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
y.o
rg
Fertilizer Consumption and Grain Production in the United States, China, India, 1961-2011
Year
Fertilizer
Use
Grain
Production
Grain Production Per
Ton of Fertilizer
Fertilizer
Use
Grain
Production
Grain Production Per
Ton of Fertilizer Fertilizer Use
Grain
Production
Grain Production Per
Ton of Fertilizer
Tons Tons Tons
1961 7.9 162.8 20.7 1.0 91.9 90.8 0.4 69.6 166.4
1962 8.6 161.5 18.7 1.0 99.6 96.3 0.5 70.7 147.9
1963 9.5 173.8 18.3 1.1 108.6 97.4 0.6 71.9 125.2
1964 10.0 159.8 16.0 1.2 121.4 101.2 0.7 74.1 113.5
1965 11.3 181.6 16.1 2.0 130.3 64.1 0.8 64.4 85.0
1966 12.7 183.5 14.5 2.8 141.9 50.5 1.2 64.9 54.0
1967 13.6 206.9 15.3 2.3 146.7 64.7 1.7 76.6 45.6
1968 14.1 201.1 14.3 2.7 140.3 52.5 1.7 82.6 47.2
1969 14.6 204.0 14.0 3.2 141.4 43.6 1.4 86.1 61.2
1970 15.9 185.7 11.7 3.9 161.7 41.3 1.8 92.8 51.2
1971 15.6 236.4 15.2 4.3 172.3 40.0 2.4 91.7 38.5
1972 16.1 226.9 14.1 5.0 167.6 33.5 2.6 89.0 34.4
1973 17.5 236.4 13.5 6.3 180.9 28.9 2.5 97.6 38.4
1974 16.0 203.1 12.7 5.4 194.2 35.9 2.7 86.7 32.6
1975 18.9 247.4 13.1 6.6 202.8 30.7 2.5 103.2 41.1
1976 20.0 256.6 12.8 7.4 206.0 27.7 3.4 100.5 29.8
1977 18.7 264.5 14.2 9.8 198.9 20.2 4.1 111.7 27.4
1978 20.4 274.7 13.5 10.6 225.6 21.3 4.5 116.1 25.7
1979 20.9 300.8 14.4 13.0 242.6 18.7 5.0 105.3 21.0
1980 21.5 267.9 12.5 15.3 233.1 15.3 5.2 113.9 21.8
1981 19.4 328.4 16.9 15.3 237.1 15.5 5.7 120.9 21.1
1982 16.5 330.9 20.1 16.0 260.9 16.3 5.9 112.4 19.2
1983 19.8 206.2 10.4 18.2 288.8 15.9 6.6 136.8 20.6
1984 19.7 312.6 15.9 19.7 306.1 15.6 8.0 135.3 16.9
1985 17.6 345.1 19.6 16.9 284.6 16.9 8.7 133.7 15.4
1986 17.3 313.3 18.1 16.9 296.8 17.6 9.6 134.0 13.9
1987 17.8 278.5 15.6 22.2 304.4 13.7 8.3 124.9 15.0
1988 17.7 204.2 11.5 24.9 297.1 12.0 10.8 148.0 13.7
1989 18.7 282.0 15.1 24.9 309.5 12.4 11.3 162.5 14.4
1990 18.6 310.1 16.7 26.8 343.4 12.8 12.0 156.7 13.1
1991 18.8 277.6 14.8 29.1 337.0 11.6 12.7 155.7 12.2
1992 19.0 350.3 18.4 28.7 341.2 11.9 12.2 165.3 13.6
1993 20.4 256.8 12.6 24.6 348.0 14.2 12.4 168.5 13.6
1994 19.3 353.0 18.3 28.3 336.7 11.9 13.6 171.5 12.6
1995 20.0 275.1 13.7 35.1 356.4 10.2 13.9 172.2 12.4
1996 20.3 333.1 16.4 35.5 388.5 11.0 14.3 178.2 12.4
1997 20.2 333.7 16.5 35.2 378.4 10.8 16.2 182.8 11.3
1998 19.6 346.6 17.6 35.3 392.3 11.1 16.8 184.1 11.0
1999 19.6 332.0 16.9 35.9 390.0 10.9 18.1 191.0 10.6
2000 18.8 339.7 18.1 34.7 345.1 9.9 16.7 193.0 11.5
2001 19.6 321.4 16.4 35.6 340.6 9.6 17.4 197.4 11.4
2002 19.4 294.0 15.2 40.3 343.1 8.5 16.1 170.2 10.6
2003 21.2 345.3 16.3 39.6 323.0 8.2 16.8 191.7 11.4
2004 20.1 385.5 19.2 43.1 355.6 8.3 18.4 188.8 10.3
2005 19.3 363.1 18.8 46.7 371.7 8.0 20.4 194.5 9.5
2006 20.8 335.5 16.2 49.4 394.8 8.0 21.6 196.5 9.1
2007 19.5 412.0 21.2 51.2 398.7 7.8 22.6 213.1 9.4
2008 16.0 400.4 25.0 48.4 419.2 8.7 24.9 217.3 8.7
2009 18.9 416.3 22.0 48.9 421.5 8.6 26.5 203.7 7.7
2010 20.0 397.9 19.8 49.7 435.6 8.8 28.2 220.2 7.8
2011 20.3 384.0 18.9 50.8 458.3 9.0 n.a. 233.3 n.a.
Note: "n.a." indicates data not available.
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with 1961-2009 data from International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), IFADATA , electronic database, at
www.fertilizer.org/ifa/ifadata/search, downloaded 28 August 2012; with 2010 fertilizer data for India from IFA, Fertilizer Consumption 2010/11 – 2015/16 Country
Reports (Paris: June 2011), pp. 7, 23; with 2010-2011 fertilizer data for all other countries from IFA, Fertilizer Consumption 2011/12 – 2016/17 Country Reports
(Paris: June 2012), pp. 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 17, 20, 21; and with grain data from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Production, Supply and Distribution , electronic database,
at fas.usda.gov/psdonline, updated 10 August 2012..
This is part of a supporting dataset for Lester R. Brown, Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (New York: W.W. Norton & Company,
2012). For more information, see Earth Policy Institute on-line at www.earth-policy.org.
United States China India
Million Tons Million Tons Million Tons
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
To
ns
Source: IFA, USDA
Grain Production Per Ton of Fertilizer in the United States, China, and India, 1961-2011
United States
China
India
Eart
h P
olic
y In
stitu
te -
ww
w.e
art
h-p
olic
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rg